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Wednesday, May 16, 2007

When running daily errands, the people we connect with may have more impact than you think.

A recent example:

I went to the bank and met a new teller I hadn’t seen before. She motioned me to her window, jet-black hair and a grim look on her face, obviously unnerved by the day’s tediousness.“Can I help you?” She didn’t even look at me as I set the check on the counter; I smiled awaiting her gaze. When I didn’t speak, she looked up. “I’d like to deposit this into the WOW! account,” I said.“The... Wow?” She met my eyes and smiled, obviously intrigued.“Yeah, my biz.” I pushed the deposit slip across the smooth tabletop.Glancing down at the thin white flake, then up at me again, she asked, “What is it that you do?” A glimmer shot across the green flecks in her eyes.“Oh, we have a website for women writers and readers—“Really! I’m an avid reader,” she blurted. “You know what I like to read?” Her eyes darted from side to side, as if reading was taboo to her manager and job description. “Chick Lit...” she whispered.“Oh, one of my favorite genres!” I went on to tell her about all the authors we’ve interviewed and slipped her a card. “If you’re ever online...”

Now she’s an avid fan and subscribes to our newsletter. It’s amazing how the people you meet in everyday life does wonders for promotion.

When you’re excited about what you do, it comes naturally. A trip to the local liquor store garnered a business proposition. The owner felt my excitement and wanted to invest in our company.

Now, of course, you shouldn’t take every offer, but you should feel some satisfaction in the fact that others are interested in what you are promoting. Simply gaining their interest means you have what it takes to make your product (or yourself) sell.

Let’s put this into a writer’s perspective. Throughout your day, how many places do you frequent? What relationships have you garnered in your day-to-day life? It doesn’t matter that these people are out of your idea of what book promotion should be. Everybody reads something, whether online, the news, a telephone book, or a candy wrapper... it doesn’t really matter because it’s all about human relations.

The more people you share yourself with in your daily life, the more prosperous you will become. It’s a simple fact that I can’t stress more.

Q: What are your daily errands?

Q: How many people in your daily life/errands do you actually share your writing career with?